friend-thru-the-storm

pennine:I still find it unbelievable a building the size of & containing the amount of people as Grenfell Tower,only had one stairway. In a day & age where we’ve had some strict EU Health& Safety lawsto adhere to,(some of which make little or no sense)we seem to be regressing on somethings.One example , years ago most public buildings such as hotels,hospitals had outside fire-escapes.I recall using these in hotels &a hospital myself where i had live-in & work jobs & on returning back after a night out when the main doors were locked. Another thing is the fire service hoses don’t stretch to the top of the building, so the question here ought be “why have buildings that are higher than where the hoses can get to.” Another refers to questioning the cladding surrounding the walls, how rigorous were test done(IF at all?) on the material for fire-safety & testing for toxicity? So very much needs to be asked,& much of it based upon basic common sense.This must never be allowed to happen again.

The burning insulation could have produced enough deadly hydrogen cyanide to fill every flat in Grenfell TowerCredit: Metropolitan Police

It was made of Polyisocyanurate (PIR), which is rigid plastic foam, between two sheets of aluminium foil. The PIR itself is flammable, but the aluminium foil is designed to prevent it catching fire.

“The materials used to refurbish the Grenfell Tower in 2016 made a major contribution to the rapid spread of the fire and the toxicity of its smoke,” said Prof Richard Hull, Professor of Chemistry and Fire Science at the University of Central Lancashire.

“The combination of the cladding, air gap and the polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam acts like a chimney, spreading the fire across the outside of the building by igniting the cladding and foam.

The UK and most of Europe have no regulations on the toxicity of fire smoke from construction products, even though escape from a high-rise building may be equally impossibleProf Richard Hull

“Many people in the tower will have had their windows open due to the hot weather last Tuesday night, so it is likely that a significant number of victims will have collapsed soon after exposure to the smoke.

“It’s widely known that the inhalation of toxic gas within smoke accounts for most deaths and injuries within fire, and yet fire toxicity in construction materials is completely under-regulated.

“Unlike ships, trains or aircraft, where fire toxicity is regulated because it is accepted that escape may not be possible, the UK and most of Europe have no regulations on the toxicity of fire smoke from construction products, even though escape from a high-rise building may be equally impossible.”

He should: “It’s obvious that regulations and laws now need to change. It’s deeply saddening that it has taken a tragedy of this scale for government and organisations to take notice, but I sincerely hope that the risks posed by fire toxicity will now be a focus in fire safety regulations.”

Meanwhile, it has been reported that renovation works at Grenfell were inspected 16 times by Kensington and Chelsea council.

Inspections were spread over almost two years during the £10 million project between 2014 and 2016, according to The Guardian.

Judith Blakeman, a Labour councillor who represents the Grenfell residents, told the paper: “This raises the question of whether the building regulations officers were sufficiently competent and did they know what they were looking at.”

Nicholas Holgate said the Communities and Local Government Secretary had “required the leader of the council to seek my resignation” on Tuesday.

He added in a statement that he would have been a “distraction” if he had stayed in his post after the “heart-breaking tragedy”.

Mr Holgate said: “Serving the families so desperately affected by the heart-breaking tragedy at Grenfell Tower remains the highest priority of the council.”

Protesters storm Kensington Town Hall on Friday – four days before chief executive Nicholas Holgate claims he was asked to resignCredit: Dan Kitwood/Getty

He said there is a “huge amount” still to do for the victims “in very challenging circumstances” and added: “If I stayed in post, my presence would be a distraction.”

Council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown said he accepted the resignation “with great regret” and added that “the council will now need to work in a new way with different partners to take this forward”.

There has been an outpouring of anger over the official response to the deadly blaze from survivors and victims’ families.

Theresa May has apologised for the failures by local and national government in reacting to the tragedy and will address the Commons on Thursday.

Theresa May apologises for response to Grenfell Tower fire

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Inquests were on Wednesday opened and adjourned at Westminster Coroner’s Court into the deaths of five victims, with a married couple officially named as among the dead.

Omar Belkadi, 32, died from inhaling fire fumes, while his wife, Farah Hamdan, 31, was killed by smoke inhalation.

Earlier on Wednesday, a funeral for 23-year-old Syrian refugee Mohammad Alhajali, the first victim to be identified, was attended by his family and London mayor Sadiq Khan.

The coffin of Grenfell Tower fire victim Mohammad Alhajali is taken from the East London Mosque for his burialCredit: John Stillwell/PA

It was also announced that 68 flats around 1.5 miles from Grenfell tower in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea had been purchased by the City of London Corporation in a deal brokered by the Homes and Communities Agency.

An independent public advocate to help bereaved families after major disasters was announced in the Queen’s Speech the same day.

The Grenfell Tower Response Team said 249 households are in emergency accommodation in hotels and £675,000 has been handed out to families affected by the disaster.